Excuses, Excuses
by BroomballKraken
Summary: Four times Nessa made excuses regarding her feelings for Milo, and the one time she did not have one.
1. Overwhelming Enthusiasm

Chapter Summary: Nessa is more than ready to start her career as the Gym Leader of Hulbury. She is not the only one at the beginning of her career, however, and she realizes that the new Gym Leader of Turffield is certainly more than meets the eye.

As soon as I read Nessa's league card and saw that she viewed Milo as a rival, I knew I was in trouble lmao So here I am, writing a fic for these two cuties! I haven't written anything for Pokemon since my days of frequenting RP forums wayyyyy back in the day, so this should be an interesting venture. Anyway, thanks for reading!

* * *

The roar of the crowd was still ringing in Nessa's ears as she stepped outside, pausing as she glanced over her shoulder at the massive structure of the Motostoke Stadium. It was still sinking in that she had just been officially introduced to the entire Galar region as the new Gym Leader of Hulbury. She was proud of herself for this achievement, and she hoped that she could prove to be an adequate challenge for anyone who partook in the Gym Challenge. A smile crossed her face as she turned to start heading back to the Budew Drop Inn, but she was interrupted when she smacked right into someone, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards.

"Woah! Watch out!"

A pair of large hands fell onto her shoulders, preventing Nessa from falling over and instead helping her to regain her balance. She glanced at one of the hands that grasped her shoulders, and her gaze slowly moved up a muscular arm and eventually her blue eyes met a pair of green set on a freckled face. His lips were turned down to form a concerned frown, and he tilted his head as he looked her over with a concerned look in his eyes. The movement knocked his hat slightly askew and exposed more of his peach-colored hair.

"Ah, sorry!" Nessa said, a dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks as she averted her gaze, embarrassed. She recognized this man as one of her fellow Gym Leaders, and, like herself, he was also new to the job. She hadn't had a chance to chat with him inside, as after the ceremony had ended, he had been busy speaking to the new, and very young Gym Leader of Stow-on-Side. She unfortunately could not recall his name.

"I should be the one apologizing!" the man said, the frown on his face replaced with a bright smile that gave Nessa pause, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." she said quickly, shaking her head. "What about you?"

"I'm good!" he said, laughing as he let go of her shoulders and stepped back. "I'm Milo, by the way! You're...Nessa, right? The Gym Leader of Hulbury?"

"Yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Milo."

"Nice to meet you too!" Milo grinned and held out his hand towards her, and Nessa grinned back as she took his hand and shook it firmly. She was surprised at how much his hand dwarfed her own. "We really didn't get a chance to talk inside, so I'm glad I ran into you! Uh, well, not the literal part of that. I still feel bad about it…" He let go of her hand and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, and Nessa giggled and shook her head.

"Really, it's okay."

"Hmm...I know!" Milo said, "Are you hungry at all? Let me treat you to some food as a real apology!" Nessa opened her mouth to protest; he really didn't need to go to all that trouble for her. However, when she saw the excited glint in his eyes, she couldn't help but smile and nod.

"All right. I'm actually pretty hungry, now that I think about it."

"Great! Let's go! Kabu was telling me about this great hole-in-the-wall diner..."

Nessa smiled as Milo led her deeper into Motostoke, chatting away about the things that they saw and what he had heard from the city's Gym Leader. From his appearance alone, Nessa had initially thought that Milo looked rather intimidating, due to his broad, muscular stature, but he was anything but. With his cheerful smile and easygoing, friendly attitude, the phrase 'never judge a book by its cover' seemed very appropriate in this case.

"Ah! Here it is!" Milo said. Nessa smiled when he held the door open for her, and she stepped inside.

"Welcome! Take a seat wherever you like!" someone called out when Nessa and Milo were both inside. They chose a table by the front window, and they looked over the menu as the waitress went to get their drinks.

"So, Nessa," Milo asked, and Nessa glanced up at him over her menu, "Have you always lived in Hulbury?"

"Yep. My dad's a fisherman, and my mom's been selling his catch at the marketplace for as long as I can remember. Part of the reason that I love water Pokemon so much is because of my father. I used to go fishing with him all the time when I was younger. I still do so when I can, but I'm busier now, especially with my new position as Gym Leader." Nessa said, beaming with pride. She had always admired her parents and how hard they worked, but she realized that she had been rambling a bit, and a light blush rose on her cheeks.

"That's great! It sounds like you're really close with your parents!" Milo said, beaming as he set his menu down and folded his hands together in front of him, "What did you do before you decided to become a Gym Leader?"

"I actually did a lot of modeling. I still take on jobs when I have the time."

"Oh, I can totally see that. You're really beautiful, after all!" Nessa blinked at him, her face flushing fully, and she watched a Milo cringed and waved his hands in front of him.

"Oh, s-sorry! Was that a weird thing to say?" he asked, averting his gaze as he tugged nervously on the scarf around his neck. Nessa recovered from her initial shock and smiled warmly, shaking her head.

"It's okay. I'm flattered, really." Nessa said, and she chuckled when Milo breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She may have been offended if it was any other man saying something so bold to her out of the blue, but Milo just seemed...so sincere and genuine. It was hard to be upset with him, Nessa was quickly realizing.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and they took the time to order their food. Nessa ordered the seafood platter, while Milo chose the steak and mixed vegetables. Nessa took a sip of her tea, sighing contently as the liquid sent warmth flooding through her chest, and she turned her attention back to Milo.

"What about you, Milo? What do you do besides running the Gym?"

"Well," Milo started, a toothy grin crossing his face, "I help my parents with their Wooloo farm! It's a lot of hard work, but I love every minute of it. I've been helping mom and dad for as long as I can remember. I'm thinking of incorporating Wooloo herding into my Gym Mission…" Nessa listened to him, her eyes never leaving his. Milo was so...energetic, just bursting with overwhelming enthusiasm with every word that came out of his mouth. Nessa had really never met anyone like him before. She listened with great interest as he gushed more about Wooloo farming, and before long their food was brought out to them.

"Wow! This looks good!" Milo said, digging into his steak right away. "How's yours, Nessa?"

"It's good." she said after taking a bite, "Not as good as the seafood back home, but still not bad at all."

"Oh yeah! I bet seafood is best when it's freshly caught!" Milo said, glancing out the window with a wistful look on his face. "I've never been to the ocean before. I bet it's really cool!"

"Well, you could always come and visit me if you want." The words left Nessa's mouth before she could really think about what she was saying, and she felt her face heat up. She cleared her throat to cover up how flustered she was starting to feel, and she shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, we are the first two Gym Leaders. It'd make sense for us to get to know each other better and be familiar with our Gyms. It would be useful to be able to give helpful info to challengers too-"

"Wow, really?!" Nessa's awkward rambling was cut off when Milo clapped his hands together excitedly as he spoke, "That'd be awesome! I'd love to come visit you sometime! And I'd love it if you visited the farm too! Oh, and my parents would be ecstatic to meet you! They always enjoy good company and you're really cool and…"

Nessa watched with wide eyes as Milo continued his excited chattering. Meeting his...parents? He thought she was...cool? She didn't really know how to deal with such raw and unbridled enthusiasm. Nonetheless, she found herself smiling as she continued to listen to him as she ate, and a weird warmth had blossomed in her chest. How odd.

When they had finished their meal and Milo generously paid for it, they both stepped outside. Milo sighed contently and patted his stomach with both hands.

"Wow, that was so good!" he said, smiling as he looked at Nessa. She smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah, it really was. Kabu suggested a great place to eat."

"You know, there's this great place in Turffield that makes the best pastries. I'll have to take you there when you visit."

"I'd like that. I'll take you to an authentic seafood place in return."

"Yes! I'm so ready for that!"

They walked back to the inn together, and all too quickly Nessa found herself outside of the door to her room. She frowned slightly at the thought of parting from Milo so soon, and she was curious as to why she felt so sad about it.

"Oh, Nessa!" Milo said as he took out his phone, "Let's exchange numbers! That way we can make plans to meet and stuff!" She nodded and entered her number in his phone, and he did the same with hers.

"Well, it's getting kinda late, and I'm pretty tired." Nessa said, a large yawn escaping her.

"Right. It was really nice to meet you, Nessa!" Milo said, beaming as he suddenly wrapped his arms around Nessa and pulled her into a hug. She blinked in surprise at first, but she soon found herself hugging him back with a smile on her face.

"Same here, Milo." she said when he pulled away. "I have a feeling that we'll get along really well."

"Yeah? Well, me too! I think we're gonna be great friends!" Milo said, grinning ear-to-ear as he placed his hands on his hips. "Have a good night, Nessa! Maybe we can meet for breakfast tomorrow before we leave town?"

"I'd like that. Goodnight, Milo." Nessa said. He shot her one last smile before he turned and headed down the hall to his room. She watched him go until he disappeared around the corner, and she finally entered her own room. A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over her, and she quickly readied herself for bed and nestled herself into a cocoon of pillows and blankets. She had let her Drednaw out of his pokeball, and he was already snoring loudly from his place on the floor.

Nessa heard her phone buzz on the nightstand, and she picked it up to read the message, which was from Milo.

'_Hey Nessa! I just wanted to say again that today was really fun! Looking forward to tomorrow, goodnight!'_

Nessa smiled as she read. Milo really was an interesting man. She had never met someone so excited to be her friend. It was a good feeling, and Nessa really liked him too. The warm feeling in her chest from earlier was back again, and she brushed it off as being unused to Milo's uncommon, overwhelming enthusiasm. Yeah, that was it.

'_I had a good time too, Milo. You have a good night!'_

Milo responded right away with a smiley face, and she returned it. With that, her phone fell silent. She put it away and finally drifted off to sleep, with a large smile on her face. A certain green-eyed, peach-haired farm boy visited her dreams that night, and Nessa was very okay with that.


	2. Feverish Sickness

The beginning of a new Gym Challenge was always something that Nessa looked forward to every year ever since she became a Gym Leader. It was exciting to see all of the eager new Challengers, ready to test their mettle as trainers and form lifelong bonds with the Pokemon that they caught and trained along the way.

Nessa was especially excited for the week before the opening ceremony. All of the Gym Leaders of Galar made the trek to Motostoke early to discuss important topics, such as any rule changes or resolving any issues that arose in the previous Challenge. That was necessary and all, but Nessa was glad when the serious stuff was dealt with so that the Gym Leaders could just hang out and have some fun together. And after two days of listening to Chairman Rose drone on about rules and regulations, she was ready to unwind with her friends.

It seemed that her body had other plans for her, however.

"Ugh." Nessa groaned when she woke up in her hotel room, feeling like she hadn't slept a wink. It was a chore to open her heavy eyelids, and she grimaced when she felt that her pajamas were drenched with sweat. She slowly pushed herself up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, groaning again with discomfort as she held her head in her hands. Her face felt hot, and yet a violent shiver coursed through her, followed by a wave of nausea.

"Why now?" Nessa grumbled, pushing herself to her feet as she stumbled to the bathroom, careful not to trip over her Drednaw, who was snoring loudly from his place on the floor. Maybe a nice, hot shower would make her feel better.

After a few minutes standing stock still under the water, Nessa found out very quickly that it was definitely _not_ helping, and she barely made it to the toilet before she vomited. After a minute of retching, she managed to compose herself, but she did not feel any better. Nessa dragged herself out of the bathroom and slowly got dressed, taking deep breaths when she started feeling nauseous again.

Of all the bad times to be sick! Nessa usually had a great immune system, and rarely came down with any sort of ailment. This was the first time that she had been sick while traveling alone as well. She always had someone to help her through her sickness, whether it was her parents back home or Sonia when they had been traveling partners during their Gym Challenge days. She bit her lip as panic welled up inside of her; she did not know what to do about this.

"Hey, Ness! Are you awake?"

Nessa jolted with surprise when someone knocked loudly on her door. It sounded like...Milo? She took a deep breath and straightened up, hoping to give the impression that nothing was out of the ordinary as she crossed the room and opened the door.

"Good morning!" Milo said cheerfully, the bright smile on his face causing her to smile as well, as hard as it was with the way she was feeling.

"Morning." Nessa said, gritting her teeth as her stomach churned. Milo stared at her for a moment, and the smile fell from his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, frowning as his eyebrows furrowed with concern. Nessa tried to laugh it off as she struggled to keep smiling.

"Aha, of course I am! You...must be imagining things." she said, waving a hand nonchalantly. Suddenly, a surge of dizziness pulsed through Nessa's head, and she felt her legs give out from under her.

"Nessa!" Strong hands latched onto her arms to keep her from falling to the floor, and she groaned as she slumped against Milo, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Oh! You're burning up!" Milo said after he had placed a large hand over Nessa's forehead. She grumbled in response, too dizzy to form a proper sentence. Milo gently tugged Nessa's arm over his shoulders and he helped her back into her room, heading straight for her bed and laying her down slowly. Her Drednaw had finally woken up, and he wandered over to the bed, staring up at his trainer as he let out a worried growl.

"I-I'll be okay, Milo, really." Nessa tried to argue, reaching down to pet her Drednaw's head soothingly, "I'm sure it's just a little-" Nessa's stomach lurched, and luckily Milo had the quick reflexes to grab the nearby trash can and shove it into her lap so that she would vomit into it instead of all over the bed. She continued retching, feeling incredibly embarrassed for throwing up in front of Milo, but she felt a bit better about it when she felt a warm hand fall onto her back, rubbing gently until she stopped.

"Aw, Ness…" Milo said, taking the trash can from her and plucking a few tissues from the bedside table, using them to gently wipe her mouth. "You don't have to act all tough about this. You'll just make yourself sicker."

"Sorry…" Nessa mumbled, feeling slightly guilty, "I don't get sick often, especially not away from home…"

"Don't worry!" Milo said, that bright, blinding smile returning to his face, "I'll take care of you!"

"But Milo, you should go out and have fun with the others…"

"I can't just leave you here when you're sick! What kind of friend would I be then?" Milo said, shaking his head. Nessa felt her face heat up a bit, and she wasn't sure if it was her fever flaring up, or something completely unrelated. Milo took the trash can into the bathroom to clean it out, and he waited there until she could change back into a pair of clean pajamas.

"There! Are you comfortable?" Milo asked after he had helped to tuck Nessa into bed. She nodded, yawning as a wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she smiled weakly when Milo helped her Drednaw climb onto the bed to settle down at her feet. She still felt guilty about all of this, but she did appreciate Milo's willingness to help her out. He really was a kind and caring friend.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep, but I might go out for a bit. Don't worry! I'll be back to check on you, and I'll have my phone on me if you need me before then!" Milo said as he took one of Nessa's hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Squeezing his hand back, Nessa let her eyes slide shut as Milo began chatting quietly about random things, like the recent happenings on his parent's Wooloo farm or the fun Gym Challenge he had come up with for this year's challengers. His voice was oddly calming, and soon enough, Nessa found herself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Nessa did not know how long she had been asleep, but what she did know was that she did not feel any better when she woke up. Cringing with discomfort, she only managed to lift her eyelids up halfway before her head started to hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, and she felt her Drednaw shift at her feet. Cracking open one eye, she saw that he was staring at her, and he let out a sad whine.

"Hey...it's fine," Nessa croaked out, her throat feeling scratchy and sore. Ugh, she felt even worse than before. She had forgotten how much she hated being sick. She sighed and tried to wriggle her arms - which felt like they had turned into lead - out from under the blankets; she was feeling overheated.

She continued her struggle, and was relieved when the door to her room opened. Milo was quickly at her side, his eyes scanning Nessa carefully.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Milo asked. Nessa groaned in response, and Milo smiled softly as he pulled the blankets down enough to finally free her arms. "That bad, huh?"

"I feel worse than before." Nessa said, sighing deeply, "The bright side is that I don't think I'm gonna throw up again."

"Oh, good!" Milo said, sitting on the edge of the bed as he rummaged around in the bag he had with him, "If you think you can handle it, I did bring you some soup. But only try it if you think you can keep it down. I don't want to accidentally make you even sicker!" Milo looked distressed at the thought, and Nessa giggled softly and started to push herself into a sitting position, with Milo quickly moving to help her.

"I'll try it." Nessa said, and she moved to take the steaming bowl from him, but he pulled it out of reach.

"It might, uh, be safer if I feed it to you. You seem to be shaking a bit." Milo said, his face flushing pink, "Er, I mean, if that's okay with you! I don't, uh, want to make you uncomfortable at all…" Nessa opened her mouth to protest, feeling embarrassed at just the thought of it, but as she thought about it more, she realized that he was right. Spilling hot soup on herself really would not make this situation better, and there wasn't anyone else around. Only Milo would know about this, and he wasn't the kind of person to blab about what she did in her weak, sickly state to anyone else.

"Ah, okay, but do not tell anyone about this. Ever." Nessa warned, pouting as she narrowed her eyes. Milo smiled and nodded, sticking his pinky out towards her.

"Of course! Here, I'll even make it a pinky promise." Milo said, and Nessa laughed as she locked her pinky with his.

"Good."

Milo dipped the spoon into the hot soup, blowing on it to cool it off before he held it up to Nessa's lips. She thought that she would have hated being so helpless and treated like a child unable to feed herself, but she was weirdly okay with it. She took a careful sip of the soup, not wanting to burn herself, and when she decided that it was cool enough to eat, she ate the entire spoonful. She sighed as the delicious soup spread warmth through her as she swallowed it, and she managed to eat a few more spoonfuls before her stomach started giving her warning signs to stop.

"I'm glad you were able to eat a little bit of it!" Milo said as he helped Nessa settle back into her cocoon of blankets. Milo noticed that Drednaw was staring at the soup bowl, and he chuckled. "You want the rest, buddy?" The turtle Pokemon let out a pleasant growl as he dropped to the floor, and Milo set the bowl in front of him. Nessa smiled fondly at her partner as he happily lapped up the soup.

"It's good, isn't it?" Nessa cooed, giggling when Drednaw looked up at her, soup dripping from his chin as he chirped happily.

"Aw, you two really are cute!" Milo said, "Even off the battlefield, you two seem like the best of friends."

"Oh yeah. Drednaw was my very first Pokemon, after all. We've been through a lot together." Nessa said, and Drednaw beamed at her, before turning his attention back to the soup.

"I can tell!" Milo said, nodding his head. Nessa suddenly let out a deep yawn, and Milo pulled out his phone.

"Ah! It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep."

"What time is it?"

"9pm."

Nessa groaned. Did she really sleep for the entire day. Ugh, and she didn't even feel any better. What rotten luck.

"But…" Milo mumbled, rubbing at his neck as a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. "I'm...kinda worried about leaving you alone all night." Nessa's eyes widened as her face paled. She had never been alone for an entire night while sick before. The thought did make her rather nervous.

"Um, Milo…" Nessa said, averting her gaze as she blushed. "Will...will you, ah, stay here with me...tonight?" By Arceus, this was embarrassing. Milo was going to think she was a giant weirdo.

Milo smiled softly, his green eyes filled with a patient understanding. "Yeah! I can do that for you, Nessa. Um, just let me go get my stuff. Here!" He pulled out a pokeball and opened it, an Eldegoss popping out and settling softly on the edge of the bed.

"You and Drednaw keep an eye on Nessa until I get back, okay?" Milo said, petting Eldegoss's head. The grass type chirped in response, turning to look at Nessa with a smile on his face.

"I'll be right back!" Milo said, and he quickly left the room. Nessa smiled softly, turning her attention to Eldegoss, who blinked at her and tilted his head curiously.

"You're trainer really is a great guy, you know?" Nessa said, reaching out with a shaky hand to gently pet the fluffy cotton of Eldegoss's head. He squeaked happily, and hummed with approval as she continued to pet him. The cotton was so soft, and Nessa found herself wondering if Milo's fluffy hair was just as soft. She continued running her fingers over Eldegoss, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as time passed.

"I'm back!" Milo announced when he stepped back into Nessa's room. Nessa smiled as he walked over to the bed, depositing the blankets and pillows he had with him on the floor. "Do you need help getting ready for bed?" Nessa nodded, and after Milo helped her to the bathroom to brush her teeth, he settled her back down into bed, and her eyes immediately closed.

"Hey, Milo?" she whispered, cracking open her eyes slightly to meet his, "Thank you so much, for everything. I don't think I've ever met someone as sweet as you." He sputtered and she giggled as her eyes shut again.

"Aw, shucks, Ness. You're pretty great yourself. Sleep well." he said, and Nessa reached out, her arms still shaking with the effort, and she slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand softly and used his free hand to gently rub the back of hers. It was a soothing touch, and soon Nessa slipped off to sleep with a content look on her face.

Milo watched as Nessa fell asleep with a fond smile on his face. He stayed still for a moment, just watching as her entire body relaxed and her breathing evened out. He gently slipped his hand out of hers and tucked her arm back under the blankets. He glanced back at her face, and he reached over to brush away a few strands of that pretty dark blue hair that had fallen over her forehead.

"Beautiful…" Milo mumbled. He blinked a few times before he realized what he had said, and his face flushed a bright red. He turned to see that both Drednaw and Eldegoss were staring at him, and he frantically waved his hands in front of him.

"D-Don't tell her I said that!" he whispered, rubbing his neck as he looked away. Drednaw narrowed his eyes and huffed, settling down to sleep at Nessa's feet. Eldegoss let out a quiet, high pitched chirp, and Milo pouted when he realized that he was laughing at him.

"Milo…"

Milo froze when he heard his name, and turned to see Nessa, thankfully still fast asleep, but his heart leapt into his throat at the absolutely breathtaking smile that was on her face. Milo was stunned for a moment, but he composed himself and stood up, heading to the bathroom to get himself ready for bed. When he returned, his Eldegoss had made himself comfortable on Drednaw's back, and Milo was surprised that the turtle Pokemon allowed that. Eldegoss looked at him and chirped out a laugh again, and Milo just waved a hand at him before settling onto the pile of blankets on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Milo said, and he chuckled when Eldegoss smiled at him and closed his eyes, his snoring soon joining Drednaw's. Milo finally settled into bed, and was quick to drift off to sleep, the beautiful smile of a certain water-type Gym Leader filling his dreams.

* * *

Nessa sighed as she woke up, letting out a deep yawn as she stretched out her long limbs. A wave of relief washed through her as she realized that she was no longer sore or nauseous or unnaturally sweaty. It seemed that her sickness had finally passed.

She got out of bed slowly to make sure that standing up wouldn't trigger any sickness that might still be hiding within her. Everything felt normal, and she smiled brightly as she stretched out, glancing at Drednaw and Eldegoss, who were still sleeping together on the bed.

"Milo?" Nessa wondered aloud. She looked down at the side of the bed where he had slept, and found that all the blankets and pillows he had used were folded and stacked neatly next to the bedside table. Milo was nowhere to be found. But, his Eldegoss was still here, so he probably hadn't gone far.

Nessa took the time to finally take a much needed shower and freshen up. When she was all dressed for the day, she heard a knock on the door, and Milo walked in shorty after.

"Ness! Good morning!" Milo said, beaming as he quickly walked over to her. "You're looking so much better!"

"Yeah, I feel so much better." Nessa said, tilting her head curiously when Milo held a bottle out to her.

"Here! Kabu gave me this to give to you. It's a Sitrus Berry Smoothie. He said it should help keep you sickness from coming back."

"Thanks." Nessa said as she took the bottle and opened it, taking a small sip. She hummed in approval at the delicious flavor.

"You feeling up for hanging out with the others today? They've already gone to get breakfast, but we can probably still make it in time to eat with them if we hurry." Milo said as he walked over to the bed and returned Eldegoss to its pokeball. Nessa did the same for Drednaw, and when she had gathered her things, they left the room and Nessa locked the door.

"Ah, I really do feel so much better." Nessa said, smiling down at Milo as they started walking down the hall. "Thanks again for taking care of me, Milo."

"You're welcome! I'm glad I could help. You just looked so sad and miserable yesterday. I just had to do something."

"Well, I'm glad you did." When they stopped to wait for the elevator, Nessa wrapped her arms around Milo and pulled him into a hug. Milo froze with surprise, but he recovered quickly and returned the hug, his strong, warm arms making Nessa feel oddly safe and secure.

As they hugged, Nessa's cheek brushed against Milo's hair. _'Huh, it really is as soft as his Eldegoss…'_ Nessa thought, and a giggle escaped her before she could stop it.

"What's so funny?" Milo asked, pulling away as he tilted his head and gave Nessa a quizzical look. She felt her face heat up as she turned away and cleared her throat.

"Uh, it's nothing…"

"Are you sure you're feeling better? Your face is all red."

"I'm good!" Nessa quickly said, laughing sheepishly as she rubbed at the back of her neck. "Ah, hey, here's the elevator! We really should get going to meet everyone for breakfast. You said we were already running late."

"Oh yeah! Let's go! I know everyone will be happy to see you!" Milo said, grinning as he held his arm out towards her after they had stepped into the elevator. "If you're still feeling a bit dizzy, you can hang onto my arm for a while if you want." Nessa wanted to tell him that she was fine, but her body seemed to move of its own accord as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Thanks."

"Anytime! Oh! We'll have to get another selfie with everyone today! I told Raihan that we should wait until you could join us, but he insisted on taking one yesterday."

"Let me guess: He said that he was looking exceptionally hot and needed to capture the look right then and there?"

"Ha! Yeah, pretty much."

Nessa and Milo laughed as they headed to breakfast, chatting about anything and everything along the way. Nessa felt exceptionally happy, and she was sure that it had everything to do with the passing of her sickness, and absolutely nothing to do with the wonderful man whose arm she held because of the dizziness that she was not experiencing.


	3. Adrenaline Rush

Summary: Excuse #3: Nessa's Adrenaline Rush. After watching Milo's matches against two outstanding Gym Challengers, Nessa intends to meet Milo for lunch. When he doesn't show up, she sets out to find him, but soon finds herself in a rather precarious situation.

Since he doesn't have a canon name yet, Milo's brother's name is Otis in this fic. Thanks for reading!

* * *

With the Gym Challenge well underway, Nessa couldn't afford to be away from Hulbury for extended periods of time. Eager trainers could come barging into her gym at any time, but that fact could not keep her from making the trip to Turffield to watch Milo's matches against the new trainers endorsed by the current champion of Galar. She had visited Milo before to watch his matches - and he did the same for hers - but when she heard that these two trainers in particular had finally made it to Turffield, she made sure that her schedule was kept clear so that she could see them in action.

Leon's brother had won his match rather handily, and his friend had followed suit in the very next challenge. Nessa was excited at the prospect of fighting them herself. She was eager to talk to Milo about the trainers when they met up for lunch, like they always did after his matches...if he would just show up already.

"Ugh, where is he?" Nessa grumbled to herself, checking her phone yet again to see if Milo had responded to her message. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she frowned, her eyes boring into the unread _'Where are you?'_ text she had sent him 20 minutes ago. She was waiting for him outside the entrance to the stadium. Had she really missed him leaving? Or was he still in the locker rooms? She was about to go back inside and ask if someone saw him leave, but she was stopped when someone called her name.

"Hey, Ness! Good to see you!"

Turning around, Nessa smiled when she saw Sonia walking towards her. It had been awhile since they'd seen each other, and she did miss hanging out with her best friend.

"Were you watching the matches too? Those new trainers really are something, aren't they?" Sonia said when she pulled away after giving Nessa a hug.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to battle them myself."

"I'll have to make sure to make it to Hulbury to see that match!"

"You better!"

Nessa smirked and crossed her arms over her chest as Sonia giggled, and a curious look suddenly crossed her face.

"So what are you still doing here?" she asked, and Nessa shrugged.

"I'm waiting for Milo. We're supposed to get lunch, but he's taking a really long time to get here." Nessa said, and a sly grin appeared on Sonia's face.

"Oh? Is this a date?" she asked, and Nessa sputtered, her face heating up considerably.

"W-What? No way! We're just friends." Nessa quickly protested, shaking her hands in front of her.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Sonia said, snickering when Nessa just huffed and looked away.

"S-Shut up…" Nessa grumbled. Sonia rolled her eyes and threw an arm over Nessa's shoulder.

"I'm just teasing! I've gotta get going though. I need to study up a little more on the geoglyph here. Have fun on your not-date!" Sonia said, waving a hand behind her as she walked off. Nessa glowered at her retreating back, before she groaned and slapped a hand to her face. Sonia did always like to tease her about many things, but this was just too much. Milo was just a friend, nothing more. Sure, he was cute, and funny, and a total sweetheart, and hardworking, and-

"Gah, I need to find him!" Nessa exclaimed, her face flushing red as she shook her head, trying to push these weird thoughts from her mind. She mumbled incoherently to herself as she headed in the direction of the farm that Milo's family owned; maybe something had come up and he had to rush over there?

Turffield was not a large town, so Nessa found herself approaching the Wooloo farm in no time at all. Something seemed odd though; it was too quiet. Normally she'd be hearing Wooloo bleating at her as she approached, but when she looked over at the fence that they'd normally be pressed up against, she saw nothing. Weird.

Nessa suddenly felt the ground shake beneath her feet, and she blinked as she quickly looked around, confused. She turned to see that the herd of Wooloo that were supposed to be greeting her from behind the fence were now barreling towards her at an alarming pace.

Nessa's eyes widened as she scrambled to get out of the way, but in her haste her foot caught on a rock and she tumbled to the ground. The herd of Wooloo were almost upon her now, so she just cursed under her breath and covered her head with her arms, bracing for impact.

But the impact never came, as Nessa was suddenly hoisted into the air. She yelped in surprise as a pair of strong arms wrapped securely around her, and she pressed her face against a broad chest and wrapped her arms around her savior's neck. The arms tightened around her as they shook with the impact of the Wooloo crashing into them.

"Nessa, are you okay?" Nessa finally looked up to find Milo gazing down at her, his brow furrowed with concern. Sweat beaded his forehead as he panted heavily, and he winced as the last of the Wooloo bounced off of his legs. Nessa's heart was hammering hard in her chest as the adrenaline from her ordeal started to wear off, and she could only nod in response.

"Whew! That's a relief!" Milo said, a beaming smile crossing his face as two barking Yamper ran past them, making sure that all of the Wooloo made it back into their enclosure. "I almost thought I wasn't gonna make it to you in time!"

"Um, thanks Milo…" Nessa finally managed to say, her lips turning up into a small smile. She then realized that his face was very, very close to her own, and her cheeks flushed a bright red.

"You can, ah, put me down now…" Nessa said, averting her gaze.

"Oh!" Milo gasped, quickly lowering Nessa back to her feet as she let go of his neck, "Sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything!" Milo placed his hands on her arms, looking her over to double check for any injuries. Nessa smiled and waved it off.

"It's cool. And I'm fine." she said, shaking her head. The smile fell from her face when she caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye, and she looked down to see that Milo's right shin was scraped up and oozing blood.

"I should be worrying about you!" Nessa continued, pursing her lips as she knelt down to examine Milo's injury.

"Huh? Oh, whoops! I didn't even realize I was bleeding. Guess I was too busy making sure that you were okay." Milo said, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Nessa sighed and rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the warm, fuzzy feeling that spread throughout her chest.

"You big dork. Can you walk?"

"Oh yeah! I'm good!" Milo tried to demonstrate by putting pressure on his injured leg, but he suddenly winced and let up as more blood started rolling down his leg.

"You're a terrible liar." Nessa pouted as she stood back up, crossing her arms over her chest as Milo scratched at his chin and avoided her heated gaze. "Well, it can't be helped." Without giving him time to react, Nessa quickly grabbed Milo's arm and hoisted him over her shoulders so that she had him in a fireman's carry.

"N-Ness!" Milo exclaimed, flailing a bit as he gripped at her arm. "You really don't have to carry me! The house isn't that far away."

"You're gonna bleed too much if you put more pressure on your leg. Just chill for a minute." Nessa said, shrugging to adjust Milo's weight as she started walking off towards the house. She wasn't a strong as he was, but Nessa was no weakling. She spent a good chunk of her free time helping her dad haul his fishing catches to the markets, so she was fairly tough herself.

"U-Um, okay…" Milo mumbled, "I just don't want you to get hurt-"

"Are you calling me weak?" Nessa glared at Milo out of the corner of her eye, and he blanched.

"No! Never! You're really strong, I'm just, uh, really bulky and I'd never want to accidentally hurt you and-" Nessa cut him off by laughing.

"I'm just teasing you," Nessa said, a sly smile crossing her face, "You're too sweet for your own good sometimes."

"Ugh, Ness…" Milo grumbled, hiding his reddening face against her arm, "You can be so mean sometimes…"

"Hehe, you still like me, though."

"Well, yeah!"

Laughter erupted from the both of them as Nessa carried Milo to the house, and she immediately set Milo down on a chair in the kitchen when they were inside. He told her where to find a first-aid kit, and a few minutes later, she had disinfected and wrapped up his shin with a clean bandage.

"There! That should keep you from bleeding out all over the place." Nessa said as she sat down, and her heart skipped a beat when Milo beamed at her, his eyes sparkling with something that looked like admiration. Nessa tried swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat as she looked away, embarrassed.

"Thanks Ness! You're the best!" Milo gushed, and Nessa tried to shrug it off, but a smile tugged at her lips anyway.

"It's no big deal. You got hurt because of me, so it's only fair that I patched you up."

"I guess, but I'm still happy that you did so!"

"So, how'd the Wooloo get out this time? I figured something was up when you didn't meet me right after your match, or respond to my text."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I completely forgot!" Milo said, his eyes widening. He rummaged through his pockets for a moment and sighed, "Shoot, I must have left my phone in the locker room…"

"I got a text from my dad right after the match," Milo continued, "He and mum were late for the matches, and he must have left the gate open to the Wooloo pen again 'cause he was in a hurry to get to the stadium."

"Your dad does that a lot, doesn't he?" Nessa said, giggling when Milo sighed as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair.

"Too much. Usually Otis is there to remember for him, but he walked to the stadium early with me today."

Nessa nodded, as she understood completely. Otis absolutely adored his older brother, and vise versa. Whenever Nessa came to visit Milo, they were always doing something together, whether it was herding Wooloo, tending to vegetables, or learning the basics of Pokemon training. Nessa thought their relationship was really sweet.

"So, naturally the Wooloo herd got loose, and one of our neighbors called me during my matches and left me a voicemail. I told my parents that I'd take care of it, and I ran off without thinking too much about it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Milo hung his head, looking guilty.

"It's fine, Milo." Nessa said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really, I'm just glad that everything's okay."

"Still...I feel bad about it." Milo said, smiling as he placed his hand over the one Nessa still had on his shoulder. "Lunch is on me today to make it up to you, and to thank you for patchin' me up!"

"C'mon, we're even now." Nessa said, the warmth of Milo's hand over hers causing a smile to cross her face, "You did save me from the dreaded Wooloo stampede."

"I know, but I still want to treat you! You mean a lot to me, Nessa." Milo said, and when his green eyes met her blue, Nessa's heartbeat was sent racing again, almost as fast as it had been when she was trapped in the path of a stampede of Wooloo.

"Milo, I...well, you, um, mean a lot to me too…" Nessa mumbled, stumbling over her words. Why was she getting so flustered all of a sudden? It was perfectly normal to tell a friend that she cared for him. Yes...totally just a friend, nothing more...but why was her heart racing so fast? That never happened when she told Sonia or Kabu or Raihan that she cared about them…

"Um! Lunch, yeah! I'm pretty hungry, let's go get some food!" Nessa suddenly blurted out, shooting out of her chair and causing Milo to jump, startled.

"Uh, right...Are you okay, Ness?" Milo asked, raising an eyebrow as he also stood up, putting a bit of pressure on his injured leg to make sure he could walk okay.

"Oh yeah!" Nessa said, laughing nervously as she threw her arm over his shoulders, "It's just, uh, all this excitement has really make me work up an appetite. I just might collapse if I don't get some food in me soon!" Nessa bit her lip and plastered an unconvincing smile on her face. Milo blinked at her for a moment, before laughing and shaking his head.

"Aw geez, I'm sure you're not gonna starve! But let's get going, just in case!" Milo said, taking Nessa's hand and leading her out of the house. Nessa breathed a sigh of relief, which she quickly covered up by clearing her throat.

"Alright. Oh, and you have to tell me your thoughts on your matches with those trainers that Leon endorsed! I'll be taking them on next, after all." Nessa said, grinning as Milo turned to look at her.

"Oh yeah! Well, Leon's brother was a tough one, he started with Wooloo, so I lead with my…" Milo started, and the rest of their day was filled with strategic discussions and great food. However, Nessa's heartbeat continued to race within her chest, and she could not figure out exactly why. It was probably just leftover adrenaline from her perilous situation earlier in the day, and had absolutely nothing to do with the man sitting across from her, making her laugh with corny jokes and generously giving advice for her upcoming challenges.


	4. Heart-Racing Rivalry

Summary: Nessa is feeling down about her losses to the champion-endorsed trainers, but luckily Milo is there to pick her back up, as he always is.

* * *

Nessa was well aware of her position as the second Gym Leader in the Galar region. Her team that she used in her gym battles was considerably weaker than her best team, the one that had seen her to victory in her own Gym Challenge. She knew this, and she knew that she was most likely going to lose most of these matches. Still, it didn't hurt any less when she lost, and it especially stung being defeated in back-to-back matches.

A deep sigh broke the tranquil silence of the night as Nessa leaned forward on the bench, her elbows resting on her thighs so that she could hold her head in her hands. It was mostly dark, save for the light from a few lamp posts, and the light from the lighthouse that swung around above her at a steady pace. For as long as she could remember, she had always come to sit in solitude by the lighthouse when she was feeling down. Listening to the waves crash against the breakwall always seemed to soothe her troubled mind.

"Ah, here you are Nessa!"

Eyes wide with surprise, Nessa lifted her head to see Milo standing in front of her, his bright smile seeming to pierce through the darkness of the night. She sat up straight as a dusting of pink appeared on her face. She had forgotten that Milo had come to watch her matches, and the pink quickly darkened to red as a wave of embarrassment flooded through her. Ugh, she felt worse about her losses now that she remembered that he had seen it all, but Nessa was confused as to why that was.

"Hey," was her simple response, and she averted her gaze to the ground as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her shoulders slumped as another dejected sigh escaped her, and she heard the bench creak slightly as Milo sat down. They sat in silence for a while, and Nessa closed her eyes as the tension she felt slowly started to leave her body. Milo always seemed to have a calming effect on her and he didn't even have to say anything, and she was grateful for that.

"It's a really nice night." Milo said, finally breaking the silence. Nessa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and found that he was staring with wide eyes up at the star-filled sky. "Golly, even though Hullbury is bigger than Turffield, you can still see the stars just as good here!" Milo shot a toothy grin her way, and Nessa's dour mood was lifted slightly, but it was not enough to bring a smile to her face.

"Yeah...nights have always been beautiful here." Nessa said, her gaze shifting back to the ground as she uncrossed her arms and hugged her legs to her chest. She felt Milo's eyes upon her, and she flinched when she felt a gentle hand fall onto her shoulder.

"Hey, Ness?" Milo said softly, and she finally turned to meet his gaze. His green eyes were completely focused on her, shining with an unusual amount of intensity that made her heart jump into her throat.

When he was sure that he had her full attention, he continued, "We're friends...no, best friends, right? So you should know by now that you can talk to me about anything. Especially about things that are bothering you." An emotion that she could not name suddenly flooded through Nessa, and she almost felt like crying. She managed to pull herself together though, and a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.

"I...I know, Milo. Thanks." Nessa said, her voice dropping to a whisper. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she placed her hand over Milo's that was still resting on her shoulder.

"I just…" she continued, biting at her bottom lip as she tried to find the right words. "I know that I'm just the second Gym Leader. I know that I'm statistically going to lose most of my matches. It still frustrates me. Every loss does." She stood suddenly, and Milo's hand slipped from her shoulder as she started pacing in front of the bench where he still sat.

"I completed my Gym Challenge, sure, but I was knocked out in the first round of the Champion Tournament." Nessa continued, her brow furrowing as she continued to pace. "And it's been a really long time since I won any of my exhibition matches with the other Gym Leaders. Hell, I think the last time I did win was when I fought Kabu last, and I have the type advantage against him, so that hardly counts!"

"Ugh, I'm just so frustrated!" Nessa ranted on. She let out an aggravated grumble as she stopped her pacing, hands flying to her head as she shook it back and forth. Her eyes squeezed shut as her fingers curled into fists against her hair. "I always get destroyed by the likes of Raihan, Piers, and even Gordie! I have the type advantage over him and I can't even win with my best team!" Nessa threw her head back and groaned as she dragged her hands down her face.

"I just feel like...I'm stagnating as a trainer. That I'm not...good enough for the position of Gym Leader..." she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she dropped her arms to her sides and stared down at the ground. She did feel a little better, having given voice to her frustrations, but her stomach still churned uncomfortably with her sour mood, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

A sudden warmth engulfed Nessa's hands, and her eyes opened again, to the sight of Milo standing in front of her, his hands holding hers. She blinked owlishly as her breath caught in her throat, and her heartbeat quickened as his thumbs brushed lightly over her knuckles. She hesitated a moment, before swallowing thickly and lifting her head so that her gaze met his. A small smile was sitting on his freckled face, those big emerald eyes of his filled with a patient understanding.

"Do you want to know what I think, Ness?" Milo asked softly as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze. She opened her mouth to respond, but found that a lump had formed in her throat, so all she could do was nod slightly.

"I think...that you are a really, really competitive person." Milo began. Nessa's face scrunched up at that, and Milo chuckled as he shook his head. "That's not a bad thing, you know. Far from it. You are always pushing yourself to be better and better, and to be honest, it really shows. You may not think so, but I've seen subtle improvements in your matches, especially against Raihan." Nessa blinked at him and tilted her head, not knowing what he meant by that.

"Oh come on, you have to know what I'm talking about!" Milo continued, his smile growing wider. "The last match you had against Raihan, you managed to knock out two of his Pokemon! Before then you couldn't knock out any! That's a huge improvement."

"I...I guess you have a point…" Nessa finally managed to say, and she averted her gaze, suddenly feeling really silly for getting so worked up about all of this. "Sorry Milo, for getting upset."

"Oh, don't apologize!" Milo said, shaking his head. "Everyone has their insecurities, and I know that talking through them really helps me out. I'm always happy to help you out when you need me, Nessa." A slight smile returned to her face, and Milo beamed at her.

"Ah, there's that pretty smile! Happiness really is the best look for you, Ness!"

Nessa's smile grew exponentially, and she glanced down at her hands, which were still being held in Milo's much bigger ones, and she felt her face heat up. Her eyes wandered back up to lock with his, and she took note at how pretty they were. Strange that she never really noticed before...She felt a fire suddenly ignite in her chest, and she suddenly knew what she wanted to do. Her hands slipped from his and moved up to his face...before jerking up to grab his hat and pluck it from his head.

"Hey!" Milo said, eyes wide with surprise when Nessa placed his hat on her head and ran to the breakwall, turning back around as a wave hit the wall with jarring force, sending some water over the edge and onto Nessa. She grinned at Milo, who was staring at her with an eyebrow raised, and she pulled out a Dive Ball and thrust her arm in his direction.

"If you want your hat back, you're gonna have to battle me, with your best team. And win." Nessa said, a fire blazing in her sapphire eyes as they locked with his. A huge smile slowly spread across his face and he laughed.

"Are you sure, Ness? I have the type advantage over you, you know."

"Oh yeah, I know. I also know that if I can win against you, then I can win against anyone." Nessa was surprised at the amount of conviction in her own voice, but she liked it, and her heart began to race when Milo plucked an Ultra Ball from his belt.

"Alright, but I won't go easy on you, you know."

"I would never want you to. I'd actually be really mad if you did."

"I know."

Milo winked at her, causing Nessa to laugh, before a serious look crossed her face. They stared at each other for a moment, before Poke balls flew through the air, and their evening seaside Pokemon battle had begun.

...And in the end, Nessa was thoroughly defeated.

As she returned her fainted Drednaw to its Poke ball, Milo returned his Appletun and walked up to her. She had only managed to take out one of his Pokemon, and even her Pelipper and Golisopod didn't stand a chance, despite having a duel type with an advantage over grass.

"That was a good match!" Milo said, grinning when Nessa pulled his hat off of her head and placed it back onto his.

"I guess. You kicked my ass. I've still got a long way to go until I finally beat you. You'll make a damn good rival, Milo." Nessa said, holding her hand out to him. Milo grabbed it and shook it firmly, and he gasped in surprise when Nessa pulled him into a tight hug. She pressed her face into his soft, fluffy hair, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sniffed, and she felt Milo rest his chin on her shoulder.

"It's okay Ness. Just let it all out, I'm here for you." he whispered in her ear. That was enough to break the dam holding her feelings in, and she cried as his arms embraced her, large, warm hands rubbing soothing circles over her back. The tightness in her stomach finally unwound, and was replaced by an incredible warmth, that only Milo could provide, Nessa realized, and the exact reason why eluded her.

When her tears had finally dried, she pulled away, one hand on Milo's shoulder as the other went to her face to wipe away the lingering tears. A gust of wind blew past them, causing Nessa to shiver, and Milo chuckled and removed his scarf.

"Here, you'll catch a cold." he said as he wrapped it around her neck. Nessa's felt her face heat up, and she suspected that it did not have to do with the warm scarf that was just given to her. She smiled down at him as he adjusted the scarf until it was snug, and he dropped his hands to his sides.

"Thanks, Milo." Nessa said, and before she even knew what she was doing, she leaned over and placed a light kiss on Milo's cheek.

Time seemed to stop as Nessa tried to process what she had just done, and when she did, her eyes went wide, gaze falling to the ground, and she balked. She did _not_ just do what she thought she did. Nessa gulped and barely managed to look back up at Milo, who was just staring at her, eyes out of focus as if he was in a trance, and his jaw hung slightly open. Oh...Oh _no_.

"Er, um...It's getting late! We should, uh, g-go get some sleep!" Nessa sputtered, laughing nervously as she pat Milo's shoulder. Oh Arceus! What an embarrassing thing to do out of the blue! The slight physical contact seemed to snap Milo out of his daze, and he blinked a few times before he nodded.

"Y-Yeah, good idea. It's, ah, getting a bit cold. I'll, uh, walk you home?" Milo said, smiling sheepishly as he held out his hand to her, a cute blush spreading across his face. Nessa felt her face heat up as well, but she couldn't help but smile and place her hand in his.

"Yeah, I'd like that." she said, and they started off down the road together.

"Oh! How do you think those two trainers will do against Kabu?" Milo asked, glancing at Nessa out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm, well he's the toughest out of the three of us, obviously. His Gym Challenge is where a lot of the new challengers see the end of their journeys. The old man is not one to be underestimated." Nessa responded, and Milo chuckled.

"You know he doesn't like being called 'old man.'"

"Well, he doesn't need to know about it. You better not tell him."

"Ha! My lips are sealed!"

As their conversation turned to making plans to see Kabu's match against the champion-endorsed trainers together, Nessa was feeling...elated? Giddy? She wasn't sure what the right word to describe how she was feeling was. Her heart was racing, butterflies were taking flight in her stomach, and she felt a kind of happiness that she had never, ever felt before. And maybe, just maybe, it had something - no, _everything_ \- to do with Milo, her best friend, heated rival, and maybe...something more?


	5. Inexcusable Love

The Champion Tournament was an event that everyone looked forward too, and the people that were most excited were the Gym Leaders, and the Gym Challengers who had managed to obtain all the eight of the Galar gym badges. This year's tournament was no different, and even though Nessa had been knocked out in the first round, it had been an incredible battle with the top Gym Challenger. She knew that this trainer was a special one, and she couldn't wait to see their match against Leon, as they had proceeded to breeze through the rest of their battles.

Unfortunately, Nessa would have to wait longer than she had anticipated for that match, due to the fact that she was currently trying to help stop three rampaging Dynamax Pokemon from completely destroying Hammerlock.

"Drednaw! Use Liquidation!" Nessa yelled up to her Gigantamax partner. The giant turtle let out a bellow before a wall of water formed in front of him, and he charged at a Dynamax Ninetales, while carefully avoiding hitting any buildings in his vicinity. The Ninetales shrieked when Drednaw hit it dead on, and it staggered backwards.

"Go now!" Nessa yelled to the group of civilians behind her. They quickly thanked her and raced down the street, which had been cleared of the Ninetales that had been blocking it, to get out of the city. Nessa sighed with relief. She had been lucky that she had managed to contain the out-of-control Dynamax Pokemon in Hulbury inside of the Gym, because that had allowed her to race to Hammerlock to help with the more serious situation here.

"Dragon Pulse!" Nessa turned to see Milo directing his Gigantamax Appletun to attack a Dynamax Duraludon, who was getting dangerously close to a row of houses. Milo had also gotten lucky in Turffield and subdued the rampaging Pokemon there without much trouble, and was able to meet Nessa in Hammerlock to help Raihan defend his home. It seemed that the source of the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon was somewhere in the city, as the amount and ferocity of the out-of-control Pokemon were much higher than the other cities with Gyms around Galar.

"You alright, Ness?" Milo called out as he looked over at her, and Nessa nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good! You?"

"Yep. Good job getting those people out of harm's way!" Milo smiled at her before turning his attention back to his Appletun, who had just taken a rough hit from the Duraludon's Dragon Claw. Nessa turned back to Drednaw, who was still locked in an intense fight with the Ninetales, but she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned around.

Nessa's eyes went wide when she saw the Dynamax Gyarados rise up from behind a row of tall buildings, it's glowing red eyes locked onto Milo. It's jaw opened and the glowing white light forming inside its mouth prompted Nessa to yell a warning to Milo, but he was too busy shouting out orders to Appletun to hear her. Without giving herself time to think, Nessa sprinted as fast as she could towards him. The telltale high-pitched screech of a Hyper Beam being shot off hit her ears, just as she slammed herself into Milo as hard as she could, knocking him off of his feet.

Nessa glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the Hyper Beam luckily miss her and hit the ground at her feet. The pavement exploded below her, and she screamed as she was launched from her feet and slammed hard into the side of a building. She slid to the ground and cried out again, a white-hot pain shooting through her torso. Dizziness filled her head as she tried to push herself up, and she felt a sticky wet sensation falling down the side of her face.

"Nessa!" she heard Milo scream, but it sounded distant, and she raised a shaky hand to her wet face, pulling it away to find it stained dark red: blood. She was bleeding pretty badly from her head somewhere, and a wave of panic coursed through her as she inhaled sharply. She quickly realized that was a mistake, for an unbearable pain shot through her rib cage. She let out a wet cough, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth as she groaned in agony.

She tried again to push herself up, in spite of the painful protests from her body, but she heard a loud cracking noise in front of her. Nessa managed to lift her head enough to see that the building she had hit was starting to crumble, the wall leaning precariously in her direction. The color drained from her face as she watched the building slowly start to fall, and her broken body would not respond to her brain screaming for her to move out of the way. Nessa squeezed her eyes shut as she braced herself for the crushing impact…

...But it never came.

Cracking open one eye, Nessa saw Milo standing before her in her dizzy haze. He had his arms over his head, and the fallen wall was braced against his hands. His arm muscles strained with the effort of holding the rubble up, and Nessa blinked slowly, trying to clear the fog from her mind. He...He was okay…She was so grateful for that...

"M-Milo…" Nessa choked out, spitting blood onto the ground as more ran down her face from the wound on her head and into her eyes. She reached a trembling hand out towards him, but what little strength she had left quickly faded and she collapsed to the ground. The last thing she heard was Milo screaming her name before everything went black and she lost consciousness.

* * *

"Milo!"

Nessa's eyes shot open as she flung herself upright, but she realized that was a mistake rather quickly as a sharp pain shot through her, forcing her to fall backwards with a groan. She cringed as the pain slowly faded away, and she managed to prop herself up on her elbows as she blinked slowly and looked around.

She appeared to be in a hospital room, the white, sterile-looking furniture and the IV stuck into her arm being dead giveaways. She laid back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, her memories slowly returning to her.

"Milo…" she said again, a wave of relief washing over her. Ah right, they had been fighting the Dynamax Pokemon together, when she pushed him out of the way of the Hyper Beam...and she had almost been crushed by a building...and that was all that she could recall. She must have been hurt pretty badly to have ended up in the hospital, and the dull pains that shot through her whenever she moved told her as much. She was glad that she was alive...but she was more so that Milo was safe...or at least she hoped that he was…

"Ah, you're finally awake."

Nessa sat up when a voice hit her ears, and she smiled when Kabu entered her room and made his way to her bedside. Nessa sighed with relief at the sight of him looking unharmed. Kabu had also been helping out with the Dynamax situation, and although she knew that the old man could handle himself well enough, she had still worried for him. He was pretty much like a second father to her, and to Milo as well. They two of them could contribute much of their success as Gym Leaders to Kabu's patient yet strict training regimens.

"Kabu! What happened? Is Hammerlock okay? What about the Dynamax Pokemon? And Milo-"

"Slow down," Kabu said, cutting off her rambling as he chuckled and sat down in the chair next to her bed. "I'll tell you everything." Nessa nodded and leaned back against her pillows, trying to get comfortable without jolting her wounds.

"Now then," Kabu began as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Hammerlock is fine, no casualties. The source of the out of control Dynamax Pokemon was stopped by Leon, his brother, and the new Champion."

"Ugh, no way! Did I miss the match? What rubbish luck!" Nessa complained, groaning as she dragged her hands over her face.

"Unfortunately, yes. It was held yesterday. You've been out for three days."

"T-Three days?!" Nessa gasped. She was out cold for _three days_? What happened to her?

"Yes. You sustained a rather nasty gash to your head, and you had three broken ribs. You are very lucky that Hyper Beam did not hit you head on, or you'd be dead right now." Kabu said, his gaze turning serious. "That was risky, what you did."

Nessa clenched her jaw, one of her hands reaching up to brush at the bandage wrapped around her head, while the other balled into a fist in her lap. She had almost died, but if she had done nothing, Milo would have been obliterated by that Hyper Beam for sure. The very thought of that made her sick to her stomach. She...could not imagine her life without him, and that's why she acted so rashly. She just...didn't know exactly _why_.

"Ah, but that's how it is sometimes," Kabu continued, a sly grin crossing his face. "When you love someone, all rational thought seems to elude you, especially when that someone is in danger."

"L-Love?" Nessa said, her face heating up considerably as she stared blankly at Kabu. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, love. You're smart, Nessa, but so, so dense." Kabu said, chuckling when Nessa's face scrunched up with annoyance. "It's quite obvious to everyone around you that you love Milo...Well, to everyone except for you and him, it seems."

Nessa didn't respond, opting instead to try and focus on regulating her breathing to calm her rapidly-beating heart. Love...She...was she in love with Milo? Her brow furrowed and lips pursed as she thought hard about it. Milo was a treasured friend, her best friend. They had been through so much together since they met, paying visits to each other's cities, watching each other's gym matches, cheering each other on. The bond that they shared was something that Nessa had never expected she'd ever have with someone else. He was really the most wonderful person she had ever met. The fact of the matter was undeniable and inexcusable at this point.

"Oh...oh my god, Kabu...I'm in love with Milo." Nessa said, her jaw dropping as she turned to Kabu with a horrified look on her face, which caused him to laugh.

"Well, it's about time you realized it," he teased, "but you don't look happy about it."

"Uh, well, it's just…" Nessa mumbled, her face flushing a bright red as she looked down at her lap, "I...don't know what to do now."

"You should tell him."

"But, what if he doesn't feel the same way about me? I don't want to make things weird between us…" Nessa said, swallowing thickly as her stomach dropped. He was her best friend, but if she did tell him about her feelings and he rejected her, could their relationship still remain the same? Kabu erupted into a fit of laughter, which surprised Nessa enough to pull her from her negative thoughts.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that," he said, "As soon as you were out of surgery, Milo didn't leave your bedside or let go of your hand for two days straight. He's not here now only because I told Raihan, Leon, and Piers to drag him out of here for a proper meal and a nap." A surge of happiness coursed through Nessa's chest, making her feel a warmth that she hadn't felt before. Milo really was worried for her, wasn't he? Maybe there really was a chance that he felt the same about her…

"Well," Kabu said as he stood up, "Milo will certainly want to know that you finally woke up. I'll go grab him for you. The boys probably have him tied down in the cafeteria."

"Alright, see you later." Nessa said, "And, thanks Kabu. For everything." Kabu looked over his shoulder as he grabbed the door handle.

"You're welcome. Good luck." Kabu said, smiling softly as he opened the door and left the room. Nessa took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm the nervous churning of her stomach. She'd need all the luck she could get if she was going to tell Milo how she felt without bumbling through the confession like a giant goober. Ugh...How was she going to do this?

She didn't have much time to think about it, because in no time at all the door to her room was suddenly being flung open. Milo rushed into the room, panting hard as if he had sprinted here at full speed from the cafeteria. His eyes went wide as the biggest smile she'd ever seen (and she'd seen some pretty big ones from him) crossed his face.

"Nessa!" he said, rushing to her bedside and immediately taking one of her hands in his. Nessa felt her cheeks heat up as his larger hand engulfed hers, something that had happened before but took on an entirely new meaning for her now. "I'm so glad you're awake!"

"Hey, Milo." Nessa said, hoping that she was doing a good job of masking the nervousness in her voice. Milo continued to smile at her as he sat down in the chair and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Are you feeling okay? Do you need any more pain medication? I can call the nurse if you do? Oh! And if you're hungry I can go and get-"

"Whoa, slow down there big guy." Nessa said, giggling as a dusting of pink covered Milo's freckled cheeks and he scratched at his chin.

"Er, sorry. I was just...so worried about you, Ness." Milo said, his voice dropping in volume as the smile fell from his face. "I'd...well, I'd never been that scared in my life, when I saw you hit that wall...and when that building was about to fall on you I was just so...terrified that I wouldn't make it in time to save you."

"Oh, Milo…" Nessa said, guilt bubbling up inside of her as she averted her gaze, "I'm sorry for worrying you, but when that Gyarados was aiming that Hyper Beam at you, I just had to do something."

"But Ness...You could have really been hurt so much worse than you were, and you were hurt pretty bad already. Why...why would you put yourself in that kind of danger for me?" Milo said, and her gaze lifted back to his, the sad look in his eyes making her feel even more guilty. Why indeed? She knew the answer now, but would she be able to tell him that? Nessa took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she steeled herself for what was to come. She exhaled as she opened her eyes, the fiery look of determination in them causing Milo to raise a confused eyebrow.

"I did it because...I'm in love with you, Milo." Nessa said, the confession finally spilling from her lips as her intense gaze locked with his. Milo blinked at her a few times, his expression blank, before his face flushed a deep red and he jerked backwards, almost falling out of his chair.

"Y-You...I don't think I heard you right." Milo said after he had steadied himself, and he laughed sheepishly as he rubbed at his neck, "'Cause I could've sworn that you just said that you loved me."

Nessa giggled and rolled her eyes, reaching over to take his large hands in hers. "Well, I'm glad that your ears seem to be working properly, because that's exactly what I said." Milo continued to stare at her, his jaw dropping as a completely dumbfounded look crossed his face. Nessa couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing, and she immediately winced as her injured ribs screamed in protest.

"A-Are you...serious?" Milo finally managed to squeak out, his face somehow flushing an even deeper red when Nessa smiled at him and nodded, her fingers entwining with his.

"Yes, of course. I definitely wouldn't lie about something like this." Nessa said, "Is that...um, a good thing?" She swallowed thickly as she waited for him to say something. Milo stared down at their hands for the longest five seconds of Nessa's life, before he suddenly looked back up at her with the most ecstatic smile on his face. Nessa's heart leapt into her throat at the beautiful sight.

"Oh, yes!" Milo almost yelled, his hands squeezing hers as he tried to contain his giddy excitement, and a huge smile slowly spread across Nessa's face. "Wow! I just never thought that you'd ever feel the same way about me as I do about you!"

"What?" Nessa breathed, happiness surging within her chest has tears of joy threatened to spill down her face. She hoped that she wasn't in a coma still, because damn this was going so much better than she should have ever hoped for.

"I love you too, Nessa!"

The words that she wanted to hear the most spilled out of Milo, and the tears Nessa was trying to hold back fell down her face. She wiped at her cheeks as she tried to stop them, and one of Milo's hands came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing away her tears.

"Er, Ness? I don't think you're supposed to cry when someone tells you they love you…" Milo said, grinning when Nessa laughed and playfully slapped his shoulder.

"Shut up...These are happy tears." Nessa said, a blush rising on her cheeks when Milo's hand lingered against her face. "I was...worried that you wouldn't feel the same and I'd make our friendship really weird…"

"Oh, no way! How could I not fall for you, Nessa?" Milo gushed, beaming as he brought his free hand up to cup her other cheek. "You're the most amazing person that I've ever met. I've loved you for a while now!"

"Really? Since when?" Nessa asked, her eyes widening with shock. She couldn't believe that he'd really been in love with her and she hadn't noticed. Maybe Kabu was right about her being dense…

"Um, remember that time when I saved you from that Wooloo stampede?" Milo said as he averted his gaze, embarrassed, "It hit me then that I like you so much more than a friend, because the thought of you getting hurt just made me feel so scared. I'd do anything to protect you."

"Aw, Milo, that's so cute." Nessa said, laughing as she placed a hand over one of his that still cupped her face. "I feel the same. That's why I couldn't stand by and watch you possibly get hurt, or worse…" The thought of how close either of them came to death made a chill run up Nessa's spine, but Milo placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the warmth of his touch seemed to spread throughout Nessa's body.

"Well, thank you for saving me, Ness. But please don't do that again. I don't think my heart could handle that kind of worry a second time."

"I'll keep that in mind. I should be thanking you too. You kept that building from falling on me. So, thanks."

They both laughed, and when Nessa's eyes met Milo's again, she grew shy at the look of absolute adoration that he was giving her. A happiness that she had never felt before swelled within her. She loved Milo, and by some miracle he loved her too. What an amazing end to a rather hellish situation.

"Golly, I'm just so happy!" Milo finally said, his arms wrapping gently around Nessa, and he was careful not to move her too much. "I really want to just pick you up and twirl you around, but I don't think that'd be too good for your injuries…" Nessa smirked as she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough that their foreheads touched.

"Well...how about you just kiss me instead?" Nessa whispered, her nose brushing against his ever-so-slightly. Milo gawked at her for a moment, causing Nessa to giggle, but he recovered quickly as he eagerly pressed his lips to hers. Nessa giggling ceased as she returned the kiss, her lips curving into a smile against his own. Milo pressed a bit harder, but stopped, and Nessa snorted when she saw the look of uncertainty and hesitation in his eyes. She pulled away slightly, tilting Milo's head up before brushing her lips against his again, and they seemed to fit together better at this angle. Milo sighed and Nessa could practically feel the tension leave him as he embraced her tighter, while one of Nessa's hands moved to his neck and the other buried itself into the soft hair at the back of his head. Nessa felt like she was floating on air, and as the kiss deepened, she found herself wishing that this moment would never end.

"Ha! It's about time, you two!"

"Jeez, get a room already!"

"...They are in a room, you dolt."

Milo jerked away from Nessa so abruptly that he did fall out of his chair this time, while Nessa covered her face with embarrassment. She peaked through her fingers to find Leon, Raihan, and Piers standing in the doorway, and she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at them.

"Don't you guys know how to knock? Barging into a woman's room is just asking for an ass-kicking." Nessa said, the venom in her tone causing Raihan and Leon to share a worried glance.

"I tried to stop them, but these two idiots couldn't wait any longer to come see you." Piers said with an exasperated sigh. Nessa couldn't help but smile, and she wondered how he managed to put up with his two doofus boyfriends all the time. Piers then smiled as he continued, "Glad to see you're doing well, though."

"Hehe, well enough to be sucking-face with Milo-" Raihan said, but was cut off when Leon jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

"That's too far." Leon scolded, and Raihan laughed nervously as he looked over at Nessa and Milo.

"Er, right, sorry guys." Raihan said, and a big toothy grin crossed his face, "But really, congrats on the new relationship. We were all wondering when it was finally gonna happen."

"Ugh, did everyone know except for us?" Nessa groaned, smacking a hand over her face. Milo just laughed and took one of her hands in his, smiling fondly as he entwined their fingers together. A smile made its way back to Nessa's face as she looked back at the trio of men. "But thank you guys for worrying about me. I appreciate it."

"Of course. That's what friends are for." Leon said, and Piers nodded. Raihan also gave an enthusiastic nod, before rushing over to the side of the bed and pulling out his Rotom phone.

"Yeah, yeah, enough of that! It's time to take your first pic as a couple!" Raihan said excitedly, and Nessa glowered at him.

"I don't exactly look picture ready, Rai." Nessa mumbled, running a hand through her messy hair as she glanced down at the unflattering hospital gown that she wore. Milo just blushed and averted his gaze, and Nessa couldn't help but think that he looked cute.

"Ah, don't worry about that! This one is just for you two, and it won't see any social media unless you guys are the ones to post it. I promise!" Raihan said, winking as his Rotom buzzed around him. Nessa glanced back at Piers, who mouthed 'I will kill him for you if he breaks that promise' and she knew that he meant it.

"...Alright, but if you break that promise, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again." Nessa warned as she wrapped her arm around Milo's back and pulled him closer to her.

"Oh yeah, she's a keeper, Milo." Raihan said with a laugh, and Milo grinned as he moved his arm behind Nessa's back to place his hand on Nessa's waist.

"I already know that." Milo said, beaming at Nessa as she giggled. They smiled as Raihan's Rotom snapped a few pics, and before the last one was taken, Milo turned and kissed Nessa's cheek.

"Aw man, you guys take such cute pics! Teach those two dorks over there how it's done, please." Raihan said, earning a glare from Piers and a pout from Leon. Raihan walked back over to his boyfriends as they bickered with him, and Nessa rolled her eyes at their antics, but smiled nonetheless. She was glad that she had such wonderful friends.

"Hey, Ness?" Milo whispered, dragging her attention away from the loud, bantering trio. She blushed when Milo pressed his lips to hers briefly, before pulling away to look deep into her eyes. "I love you. I'm gonna take you on the best dinner date when you get out of here, okay?" Nessa's eyes lit up as a bright smile crossed her face, and she nodded.

"I'd really like that. I love you too, Milo." Nessa whispered back, she cupped his face to pull him in for another kiss. It seemed that she had no excuses left to explain away her feelings, feelings that she knew now had been lying dormant inside of her for quite some time now. She was grateful for that, because she loved Milo, and he loved her just as much, and neither of them would have it any other way.

* * *

So I know in-game it's said that the gym leaders contained the rampaging Dynamax pokemon inside the stadium, but I tweaked that a bit for this fic to make it more exciting .

But anyway, that's a wrap! Thank you all so much for the reviews and favs along the way, these two are fun to write for and I'll probably be writing for them again sometime (not for a while because uhhh *stares at my giant pile of WIPs*) Thanks again for reading!


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